Croc

For comparing what, the Astra? GM has attempted to position Saturn as a premium alternative to VW, with AURA, ASTRA, VUE, OUTLOOK, and SKY. They've failed, and the Saturn brand cannot support the price points Olds easily could. Time for it to finally go.

As the article mentions: SAAB lacks a large dealership network. Why GM hasn't rectified this is a mystery to me.

I disagree. Both of those interiors look far more upscale than the Regal's.

And a better interior, overall. Funny, on the VW website it states that a front center armrest is standard equipment on both the 2-door and 4-door. It also comes with two cupholders. http://www.vw.com/rabbit/completespecs/en/us/#/show_all Isn't that just the damnedest thing?

Olds? No. It never was a "luxury" marque, and with Buick and Cadillac it didn't need to be. Olds was positioned perfectly; it just wasn't given enough time for the new product to catch on. Saturn only wishes it commanded the transaction prices that Olds did in its death throes.

QFT

This looks really retro to me, and in a good way--I've always thought MB-design was at its zenith from the 1980s to the mid-1990s, with solid, purposeful lines that create an air of luxury and exclusivity. This is a return to that IMO. I want to see how the interior fares, though, as MB interiors have SUCKED the past decade.

Being a dry-humored "douche."

Sorry, that interior is so poorly-assembled and/or frankly cheap-looking. I can't tell if it is actually poorly-assembled, or just designed to look that way. It better be upgraded for NA if Buick is to be "premium" in any loose sense of the word.

Deep dish BBQ?

I have poured over the interiors of all the latest MBs and BMWs. I'm honestly not impressed. They might be better than my 2001 M-Class, but they still suffer from many of the same shortcomings IMO. I don't agree with this characterization at all. GM has several different radio designs, and yes, a couple of those are "premium." I still don't understand why you want complexity and consider it a virtue in high-end models--you are the only reviewer I've seen who extols this. Yes, I want complex functions...but radios can be capable of complex operations with a simple, user-friendly interface. CTS C-Class Sorry, but I find the C-Class interior to look very cheesy, and not particularly luxurious, and certainly not more so than the CTS interior. Functionally, it seems Mercedes still has the same fetish with a sea of identically-sized and -spaced tiny buttons across the radio faceplate. Just like in my 2001 M-Class. The Cadillac's are sized differently, and some are more recessed than others so it's easier to find them. I also see the M-B doesn't have automatic climate control yet, so I hope it works a lot better than the unit in my 2001. Defog was never its strong suit. CTS has a pretty straight-forward auto climate control. Nice, pretty much what a vehicle of this class should come with. And dual-zoned to boot!

Because it's priced as a premium product.

How does Arizona not have good BBQ? The people I meet there seem cut from the same cloth as those in Florida, the Carolinas and/or Texas.

I don't care much for unrefined accents. Give me a refined New York, Southern, or West Coast accent any day over a screechy hick or nasal northern plains accent. Leaving the Indianapolis airport after arriving for Thanksgiving, "Whalecome ta India NAPolis!" screeched the woman with no teeth working the parking attendant booth. I've also learned NEVER to schedule a flight via Minneapolis, as the last time I was there on layover the accent on the PA system annoyed the $h! out of me. Stop swallowing your words people!

Because GM still really does not get it.

Cool, so why isn't GM installing this in the factory? That fixes may be easily available does NOT negate the presence of glaring deficiencies in the product to begin with. Why should a consumer have to go through that hassle with a brand new car for something that every other competitor offers standard, free of charge?

I disagree about it being overblown in the press. I wasn't even aware it was missing a second cupholder until I first saw one at the auto show and was excited to check it out because I heard how well it drove. Playing around in the interior, I quickly discovered this missing amenity, and even more quickly decided I was no longer interested in it. For people who have lived without cupholders, it may not be that big of a deal, but cupholders are pretty important to most buyers. If it took me a matter of less than 2 minutes to discover the Astra's deficiency with no prior knowledge, and for it to irritate me enough that I was no longer interested in it, that says something. There is very little that I consider essential in a car, without which I will not consider it. Armrests, cupholders, ABS, power windows and locks, height-adjustible front seat, and aux power outlets are musts, and a rear armrest and compass, and auto climate control are almost up there. Pretty much everything else goes in the "nice to have" but not necessary category. Some may find my list fussy, but I have sound reasons for each of those items.

Not everyone is as wonderful and special as you so as to be blessed without allergies. Not lazy, allergic.

Astra only has one cupholder. Sorry, but GM should have fixed this BEFORE launch. There is no excuse for a vehicle sold in the US market to have less than 1 cupholder per front seat, AND lack an aux input jack in this day and age. Myers, you might sacrifice your lone cupholder, but I wouldn't. For the money I would have to pay to own an Astra, I should get both...and then some.

You're very lucky those books only broke your nose! Glad to hear everyone is fairly alright...modern cars sure do crash well.

Again, though...where are they located? Pittsburgh is one city. Los Angeles doesn't have one anywhere near me, and I live fairly centrally. There are a total of 6 SAAB dealerships within 50 miles of downtown, and only one is actually in Los Angeles--but it's all the way out west past Beverly Hills. The rest are, well, within 50 miles of downtown Los Angeles. Thousand Oaks, Santa Ana, Mission Viejo, Pasadena, Sherman Oaks all have one, but that isn't very good coverage. Chevrolet and Cadillac dealerships are in much better locations, and are much more numerous. Indianapolis? 40 minutes away, and again, I lived centrally. One dealership. And where is it located? Waaaaaay up in the northeastern suburb. Different county than Indianapolis.

...is very happy that I'm keeping myself pretty busy these days? Why yes, in fact, she is.

smk, how many dealerships sell SAAB? Where are they located? In urban areas or on the periphery? If SAAB were joined with every B-P-GMC dealership, I'm betting they'd sell a lot more than 800 cars in a November.

:sigh: People who provoke people on the internet for kicks clearly aren't working hard enough and need to get a job with more hours. Too much time on their hands...

I have no problem with the CTS interior. Whatever miniscule deficiencies the buttons may have in tactile feel (never felt less-then-perfect to me), the CTS' ergonomics more than make up for it. M-B interiors are very user-unfriendly with button size and placement, and the CTS is very user-friendly. I'll take a good layout and convenience any day over better-pushing buttons. They're all going to feel the same anyway after I've gotten In-N-Out grease all over them.